Batteries Plus
Builds Presence
In Northeast

– Batteries Plus, a
500-store franchised chain specializing
in batteries and light bulbs, is looking to
expand its footprint in the Northeast.

Already a presence in 46 states, the
company is holding road shows this
month through October for potential franchisees
in the Boston, Hartford, Conn.,
Providence, R.I., Long Island, N.Y., Newark,
N.J., Philadelphia and Timonium, Md.,
markets to backfill the region.

John Twist, the company’s franchise
and business development VP, said the
nation’s obsession with portable devices
and an eventual mandated shift to
energy-efficient light bulbs has created
a perfect environment for a local, singlesource
battery and light bulb dealer.
“The demand for replacement batteries
for portable devices and energy-saving
light bulbs across the country is very
strong and has allowed us to fulfill a fundamental
need for consumers and businesses,”
he said.

The company cited a Freedonia research
study that pegged annual U.S.
battery industry sales at approximately
$30.7 billion and U.S. light bulb industry
sales at about $14 billion. Battery
Plus stores offer batteries for everything
from laptops, cell phones and cars to
military and heavy-duty construction
equipment, and incandescent and CFL
light bulbs for projectors, rear-projection
TVs, cars, healthcare equipment,
aquariums, recessed lighting and track
lighting, as well as related accessories
and technical support. The stores can
pull inventory from Battery Plus’s comprehensive
assortment of over 40,000
SKUs, the company said.

“Batteries Plus can fulfill virtually
any light bulb or battery request for
retail consumer, business or industrial
needs,” added CEO Russ Reynolds.
“We’re well positioned in two demanddriven
markets that are growing and
evolving rapidly.”

The Northeast expansion effort follows two record growth years for the
business, which opened more than one
store a week on average in both 2010
and 2011. Indeed, the store-count has
grown 44 percent over the past three
years, and same-store sales have increased
an average of 12.4 percent over
the same period, the company said.

The chain opened its first franchiseowned
store in Fort Wayne, Ind., in
1992, and has since expanded to some
500 locations in 46 states and Puerto
Rico. For more information, visit